Definition of 'nag'
Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present
tense nags
, present participle nagging
, past tense, past participle nagged
1. verb
If someone nags you, they keep asking you to do something you have not done yet or do not want to do.
[disapproval] The more Sarah nagged her, the more stubborn Cissie became. [VERB noun]
My girlfriend nagged me to cut my hair. [VERB noun to-infinitive]
She had stopped nagging him about never being home. [VERB noun + about]
...children nagging their parents into buying things. [VERB noun + into]
[Also VERB]
A nag is someone who nags.
Aunt Molly is a nag about regular meals. [+ about]
2. verb
He could be wrong about her. The feeling nagged at him. [VERB + at]
...the anxiety that had nagged Amy all through lunch. [VERB noun]
Something was nagging in the back of his mind. [VERB]
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
verbWord forms: nags, nagging or nagged
2. (when intr, often foll by at)
toothache nagged him all day
noun
3.
a person, esp a woman, who nags
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
noun
Word origin of 'nag'
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin of 'nag'
verb transitiveWord forms: nagged or ˈnagging
1.
verb intransitive
noun
5.
a person, esp. a woman, who nags
: also ˈnaggerWebster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
adverb
naggy (ˈnaggy)
adjectiveWord forms: ˈnaggier or ˈnaggiest
noun
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin of 'nag'
Example sentences containing 'nag'
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content.
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Things still nag away at him from time to time. Times, Sunday Times (2016)But one thing nags away at me. Times, Sunday Times (2016)They are unsubtle gifts bought for lazy loved ones by nagging loved ones. Times, Sunday Times (2016)Yet one question nags him: has he fulfilled his potential? Times, Sunday Times (2016)On the first morning, the seamers were erratic initially and resorted to trying cutters too early instead of nagging away on a steady line and length. Times, Sunday Times (2016)The constant nagging from officials to downsize and be more fuel efficient seems to have (ironically) encouraged motorists to go extra large. The Sun (2017)It was a question that nagged away at them. Times, Sunday Times (2010)Yet it still looks like the nag to back. Times, Sunday Times (2015)Soon that nagging pain in one toe becomes blood poisoning. Christianity Today (2000)Except for this nagging suspicion that it all smells a bit of fish. Times, Sunday Times (2010)Yet there is something really nagging me about this whole thing. The Sun (2008)The unhappiness stemmed from a nagging sense that he could have been so much more. Times, Sunday Times (2015)Parents drive me up the wall with their constant nagging and worrying. Times, Sunday Times (2007)Drug resistance has exploded from nagging concern into potential global catastrophe in the space of a generation. Times, Sunday Times (2016)But there was something nagging at the back of my mind. Times, Sunday Times (2008)And yet there is one nagging point that remains. Times, Sunday Times (2009)Why do we need to constantly be nagged into doing something? Times, Sunday Times (2007)Because there is the old nagging. The Sun (2013)And it nagged away at me. Times, Sunday Times (2009)Too often when the domestic tumult ceases, the nagging anxiety of work kicks back in. Times, Sunday Times (2012)But there is a nagging worry for all Reds fans. The Sun (2008)Fear in old age is terrible: a nagging anxiety that eats away at confidence and wellbeing. Times, Sunday Times (2009)The nagging ankle injury that kept him out for long periods last term came back to haunt him last Friday against Coventry. The Sun (2014)The bills are triple what they'd be if I had an old nag. Times, Sunday Times (2008)And that is why I have a nagging suspicion the Italian will go the way of his predecessors. The Sun (2010)
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Trends of 'nag'
Used Occasionally. nag is one of the 30000 most commonly used words in the Collins dictionary
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Translations for 'nag'
British English: nag
/næɡ/ VERB
If someone nags you, or if they nag, they keep asking you to do something you have not done yet or do not want to do.
My girlfriend nagged me to cut my hair.
The child learns that if they nag and moan loud enough they will get their own way.
- American English: nag
- Arabic: يُزعِجُ إِزْعَاجَاً مُتَّصِلاً
- Brazilian Portuguese: apoquentar
- Chinese: 唠叨
- Croatian: zanovijetati
- Czech: sekýrovat
- Danish: plage
- Dutch: zeuren
- European Spanish: dar la lata
- Finnish: nalkuttaa
- French: tarabuster
- German: herumnörgeln
- Greek: γκρινιάζω
- Italian: criticare
- Japanese: がみがみ小言を言う
- Korean: 잔소리하다
- Norwegian: mase
- Polish: gderać
- European Portuguese: chatear
- Romanian: a cicăli
- Russian: придираться
- Spanish: dar la lata
- Swedish: tjata
- Thai: จ้องจับผิด
- Turkish: dırdır etmek
- Ukrainian: чіплятися
- Vietnamese: cằn nhằn
Source
Definition of nag from the
Collins English Dictionary
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